Afra Saeed Ahmad

Afra Saeed Ahmad

Afra Saeed Ahmad

Associate Professor

Industrial/Organizational Psychology: Diversity & inclusion in the workplace

Dr. Afra Saeed Ahmad is the Director of the online Master's of Professional Studies in Applied Industrial and Organizational Psychology Program. She received her BA in Psychology (2008), MA (2012) and PhD (2016) in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from right here at George Mason University! Afra worked as an Assistant Professor of Management at Zayed University in Dubai for three years before returning home to Mason.

Please feel free to contact Afra about the new MPS program and to learn more, please visit:

https://masononline.gmu.edu/programs/master-of-professional-studies-in-applied-industrial-organizational-psychology/

 

Current Research

Afra's program of research focuses on diversity and inclusion and well-being in the workplace.She focuses on understanding the experiences of different demographic groups in the workplace (e.g., religious employees, women and ethnic leaders, LGBT individuals, older workers, individuals with disabilities, expatriates) while utilizing various methodologies (e.g., field experiments, lab experiments, meta-analyses, surveys). Her research aims generate effective remediation strategies that diverse employees can use to improve their work experiences and offer guidance to organizations striving to achieve a tolerant and equitable workforce.

Selected Publications

Ahmad, A. S., Zhou, S., & Ayers, T. (2021). The future of learning: Teaching industrial and organizational psychology in all modalities. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science & Practice13(4), 540-543.

Zhou, S., & Ahmad, A. S. (2021). Who’s your audience? Expanding I-O teaching to non I-O students. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science & Practice13(4), 585-589.

Ahmad. A. S., Sabat, I., Trump-Steele, R., & King, E. (2019). Evidence-based strategies for improving diversity and inclusion in undergraduate research labs. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1305.

*Ahmad, A. S., *Anderson, A. J., King, E. B., & Gilrane, V. (2019). Subtle and Overt Behaviors Toward Ethnic Minority Leaders and the Moderating Role of Competence. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 1548051819859289.

Anderson, A., Ahmad, A., King, E., Lindsey, A, Ragone, S., Feyre, R., & Kim, S. (2015).The effectiveness of three strategies to reduce the influence of bias in evaluations of female leaders. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 45, 522-539.

Kaplan, S., Bradley-Geist, J., Ahmad, A., Anderson, A., Hargrove, A. K., & Lindsey, A. (2014). A test of two positive psychology interventions to increase employee well-being. Journal of Business & Psychology, 29, 367-380.

King, E. B., Hebl, M. R., Morgan, W.B., & Ahmad, A. S. (2012). Field experiments on sensitive organizational topics. Organizational Research Methods, 16, 501-521

King, E. B., & Ahmad, A. S. (2010). An Experimental Field Study of Interpersonal Discrimination Toward Muslim Job Applicants. Personnel Psychology63, 881-906.

Expanded Publication List

REFEREED JOURNAL ARTICLES

Lindsey, A., King, E., Amber, B., Sabat, I., & Ahmad., A. (2019). Examining why and for whom reflection diversity training works. Personnel Assessment and Decisions, 5(2), 10.

Ahmad. A. S., Sabat, I., Trump-Steele, R., & King, E. (2019). Evidence-based strategies for improving diversity and inclusion in undergraduate research labs. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1305.

*Ahmad, A. S., *Anderson, A. J., King, E. B., & Gilrane, V. (2019). Subtle and Overt Behaviors Toward Ethnic Minority Leaders and the Moderating Role of Competence. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 1548051819859289.

Goldberg, C., & Ahmad, A.S. (2019). Improving the measurement of sexual harassment climate. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science & Practice, 12, 64-67.

Lindsey, A., King, E., Sabat, I., Ahmad., A. (2019). The benefits of identity integration across life domains. Journal of Homosexuality. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2019.1607683

Sabat, I. E., Lindsey, A. P., King, E. B., Ahmad, A. S., Membere, A. A., & Arena, D. (2017). How prior knowledge of LGB identities alters the effects of workplace disclosure. Journal of Vocational Behavior. 103, 56-70

Jones, K. P., Sabat, I., King, E. B., Ahmad, A. S., McCausland, T. C., & Chen, T. R. (2017).Isms and schisms: A meta-analysis of the prejudice-discrimination relationship across racism, sexism, and ageism. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 28, 1076-1110.

Winslow, C. J., Kaplan, S. A., Bradley-Geist, J. C., Lindsey, A.P., Ahmad, A.S., & Hargrove, A. (2016). An examination of two positive organizational interventions: For whom do these interventions work? Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22, 129-137.

Jensen, J., Ahmad, A., King, E. B., & Hyun, J. (2016). A cross-cultural investigation of the effects of incivility on occupational aspirations. Journal of College Student Development, 57, 233-247.

McCausland, T. C., King. E.B., Bartholomew, L., Feyre, R., Ahmad, A., & Finkelstein, L. M. (2015). The technological age: The effects of perceived age in technology training. Journal of Business and Psychology, 30, 693-708.

Anderson, A., Ahmad, A., King, E., Lindsey, A, Ragone, S., Feyre, R., & Kim, S. (2015).The effectiveness of three strategies to reduce the influence of bias in evaluations of female leaders. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 45, 522-539.

Sabat, I. E., Lindsey, A. P., Membere, A., Anderson, A., Ahmad, A., King, E., & Bolunmez, B. (2014). Invisible disablities: Unique strategies for workplace allies. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 7, 259-265.

Kaplan, S., Bradley-Geist, J., Ahmad, A., Anderson, A., Hargrove, A. K., & Lindsey, A. (2014). A test of two positive psychology interventions to increase employee well-being. Journal of Business & Psychology, 29, 367-380.

King, E. B., Hebl, M. R., Morgan, W.B., & Ahmad, A. S. (2012). Field experiments on sensitive organizational topics. Organizational Research Methods, 16, 501-521.

King, E. B., & Ahmad, A. S. (2010). An experimental field study of interpersonal discrimination toward Muslim job applicants. Personnel Psychology, 63, 881-906.

BOOK CHAPTERS AND NON-PEER REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

Ahmad, A.S., Sabat, I., & King, E. (2018). Research: The upsides of disclosing our religion, sexual orientation, or parental status at work. Harvard Business Review. Available online: https://hbr.org/2018/03/research-the-upsides-of-disclosing-your-religion-sexual-orientation-or-parental-status-at-work

Ahmad, A. S., Anderson, A., Sabat, I., Membere, A., & King, E. (2017). Women in organizations: Understanding barriers to advancement of female employees. In  Anderson, Ones, Sinangil & Viswesvaran (Eds), The SAGE Handbook of Industrial, Work & Organizational Psychology, 2e, Volume Three (pp. 377-395). London: SAGE.  

Membere, A. A., Ahmad, A. S., Anderson, A. J., Lindsey, A. P., Sabat, I. E., & King, E. B.(2015). Individual, interpersonal, and organizational outcomes of workplace bullying. In M. Paludi (Ed.), Bullies in the workplace: Seeing and stopping adults who abuse their co-workers and employees (pp. 176-198). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.

McCausland, T. C., Ahmad, A. S., Botsford Morgan, W., King, E. B., & Jones, K. P. (2014). Making it work for women, children, and the job. In M. Paludi (Ed.), Women, Work and Family: How Companies Thrive with a 21st Century Multicultural Workforce (pp. 153-172). Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.

Ahmad, A. S., King, E. B., & Anderson, A. (2013). Effects of gender and parenting on work-life integration. In D. Major & R. Burke (Eds), Handbook of Work-Life Integration Among Professionals: Challenges and Opportunities (pp. 120-141). Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Anderson, A.J., Jensen, J.M., Ahmad, A.S. & King, E.B. (2013). Women's accounts of stereotypes, stigma and incivility. In M. Paludi (Ed.), Women and Management: Global Issues and Promising Solutions (pp. 65-85). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.

Grants and Fellowships

1/2019                      Granted Research Incentive Fund (PI: 300,000 AED)

1/2017                      ESCP Europe Research Funding (Co-Pi: 5,000€)

10/2016                    Policy Research Incentive Award (PI: 20,000 AED)

12/2016                    Start-Up Grant (PI: 15,000 AED)

11/2015                    Dissertation Completion Grant (PI: $10,000)

11/2015                    Diversity & Inclusion Grant (PI: $1,188)

8/2015                      International Travel Grant ($2,500)

3/2009-9/2009          Critical Language Enhancement Award for Study of Arabic ($8,000)

2/2009-1/2010          Fulbright Fellowship to the United Arab Emirates ($36,000)

Courses Taught

MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT

Human Resource Management

Recruitment and Selection 

Compensation & Performance Management

Comparative Human Resource Management

People and Organizations Recitation

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

Online Courses

Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Social Psychology (PSYC 231)

Traditional In-Person Courses

Professional Issues in Social Sciences: College to Career

Social Psychology

Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Research Methods in Psychology

Research Methods Writing Lab

Education

George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

Ph.D. Industrial/Organizational Psychology                                          August 2012-May 2016

Dissertation: Context matters: Uncovering factors influencing charges of religious workplace discrimination

M.A. Industrial/Organizational Psychology                                           August 2010- May 2012

B.A. Psychology (Honors) & Minor in Islamic Studies                          August 2004- May 2008

Recent Presentations

Ahmad., A.S. (April, 2019). Keynote Speaker: Diversity in human resource management. Talk given at the symposium on Tolerance and Diversity in the Workplace, Dubai, UAE.    

Ahmad., A.S. (April, 2019). Co-chair; Panelist: The struggle is real: What it means to “have it all” in I-O psychology. Panel conducted at the annual conference for the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology, National Harbor, MD.

Ahmad., A.S. (November, 2018). Panelist: Organizational & individual solutions to promote diversity in business. Panel conducted at the annual 8th Annual MENA Regional Conference, Dubai, UAE.

Goldberg, C., Roth, P., Thatcher, J., Matthews, K. & Ahmad, A. (November, 2018). The effects of religion on the evaluation of social media profiles in hiring. Paper presented at the Meeting of the Southern Management Association, Lexington, KY.

Ahmad., A.S. (April, 2018). Panelist: What we wish our allies knew. Panel conducted at the annual conference for the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology, Chicago, IL.

Ahmad, A.S.  (August, 2017). Context matters: Uncovering factors influencing charges of religious workplace discrimination. In M. Finny (Chair), Institutional Contexts and Spirituality. Symposium conducted at the Academy of Management, Atlanta, GA..

Jones, K.P., Lindsey, A.P., Arena, D., Sabat, I.E., Ahmad, A.S. (August, 2017). The vicious cycle: A longitudinal examination of the cumulative effects of subtle discrimination on employee psychological health. In K. S. Lyness & M. K. Judiesch (Co-Chairs), Diversity interface challenges: Intersectionality, faultlines, and subtle discrimination peril. Symposium conducted at the Academy of Management, Atlanta, GA.

Cheung, HK., Lindsey, A., King, E., Sabat, I., Ahmad, A.S. (August, 2017). When gay men and lesbian women disclose their sexual orientation influences salary. In N. E. Day & S. Marquez (Co-Chairs), LGBT Identity in the Workplace. Symposium presented at the Academy of Management, Atlanta, GA.

Ahmad, A.S, King, E. B., & Luchman, J. (April, 2017). Examining effects of context on discrimination using difference-in-differences estimator. In J. Wessel & S. Barth (Co-Chairs), Methodological and analytical advances in diversity and inclusion research. Symposium conducted at the annual conference for the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology, Orlando, FL.

Ahmad, A.S. (April, 2017). Panelist: Mitigating the impact of implicit bias in high-stakes settings. Panel conducted at the annual conference for the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology, Orlando, FL.

Jones, K., Sabat, I., Lindsey, A., Ahmad, A.S, & Arena, D. (April, 2016). Killing me softly: How subtle discrimination pushes minority women out. In K. Jones (Chair), The trouble with subtle: Boundary conditions of subtle discrimination outcomes. Symposium conducted at the annual conference for the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology, Anaheim, CA.

Ahmad, A.S, King, J., & Smith, J. G. (August, 2015). Religious identity management. In H. H.Chung, & C. D. Johnson (Chairs), The benefits and boundaries of religious and spiritual expression at work. Professional Development Workshop conducted at the Academy of Management in Vancouver, BC, CAN.

 

In the Media

New I/O Masters Program (2019). Retrieved from https://psychology.gmu.edu/undergraduate/psyc-psignature/spring-2019/new-i-o-masters-program

Houlihan, T. (Producer). (2019, March 19). Jeanie Whinghter and Afra Ahmad: Balance vs. Harmony. [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://behavioralgrooves.podbean.com/e/jeanie-whinghter-and-afra-ahmed-balance-vs-harmony/

Ahmad, A.S., Sabat, I., & King, E. (2018). Research: The upsides of disclosing our religion, sexual orientation, or parental status at work. Harvard Business Review. Available online: https://hbr.org/2018/03/research-the-upsides-of-disclosing-your-religion-sexual-orientation-or-parental-status-at-work

Cruise, C. (2016). Class of 2016: Doctoral student finds improving workplace culture has many benefits. Retrieved from https://www2.gmu.edu/news/236926?platform=hootsuite

Cruise, C. (2016). Patriot Profile: Afra Ahmad. Mason Spirit. Retrieved from

https://spirit.gmu.edu/2016/04/patriot-profile-afra-ahmad/

Working Toward Promoting Diversity. (2016). Retrieved from

https://www2.gmu.edu/focused-your-future/working-toward-promoting-diversity

McDonald, M. (2014). Talk religion at work? Go ahead, says Mason researcher. Retrieved from

https://www2.gmu.edu/news/353